Negotiations
Health diplomacy takes place in a diversity of global and regional fora. We monitor a number of on-going negotiations to facilitate stronger engagement from a broader range of actors and countries in health diplomacy. For each negotiation listed below, we select relevant news stories, official documents, and relevant research papers. We strive to provide high-quality material and up-to-date information to improve the transparency of the processes.
The Economist (Sept 2, 2010) estimated that the counterfeit drug market is worth approximately $75-billion a year. Of all medicines sold worldwide, some 15 percent are counterfeit. In developing countries, counterfeit drugs amount to approximately 30 percent of drugs sold. In May 2010, the Sixty-Third World Health Assembly (WHA) established a Working Group to address the...
For the past three decades, the economic relationship between the African countries and the European Union (EU) was based on preferential trade agreements. However, the two regions are now negotiating economic partnership agreements (EPAs) covering a wide range of issues including trade in goods, services, agriculture, fisheries, investments, competition policy, and intellectual...
In 2010, the WHO established an independent review committee headed by Dr. Harvey Fineberg, to assess the functioning of the International Health Regulation (IHR) in relation to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic and review the role of the WHO’s Secretariat in support the pandemic preparedness alert and response.
The IHR require all countries to report certain disease outbreaks and public health events...
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight broadly supportive development goals which provide benchmarks for tackling extreme poverty. The goals, adopted at the United Nations (UN) in 2000, are set to be achieved by 2015 and are measured in terms of progress since 1990. Three of the eight goals specifically focus on health-related issues, including reducing child mortality (MDG 4),...
The Intergovernmental Negotiating Board (INB) has met four times since February 2008 to discuss the modalities of this Protocol. Parties will meet a fifth time in Geneva from the 5 to 10 of March, 2012 with a view to finalize the text of a draft protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products.
The parties discussed the need for a comprehensive set of provisions to secure the supply chain...
The UN General Assembly held a High-Level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in New York from September 19-20, 2011. This was the first time that the world’s leaders have convened to discuss potential concerted action to address the challenges posed by NCDs, and the second time ever that the UN General Assembly has focused on global health, following its Special Session on HIV/AIDS in...
The negotiations among WHO Member states began in 2007 when the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution to review the existing system for sharing influenza samples.
Over the past five decades, the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Influenza Surveillance Network has grown into a system of over 100 National Influenza Centres in 90 countries. The Network collects and analyzes...
The World Health Assembly (WHA) is a key moment of health diplomacy. The Global Health Diplomacy Network (GHD-NET) seeks to improve capacity for health diplomacy by using training, research, and information-sharing to ensure that all participants can be more engaged and in a position to influence the outcomes of international negotiations.
In this context, we have prepared a companion to the WHA...
Executive Board Meeting, 130th session, January 16-23, 2012
The Executive Board Meeting is important in the lead-up to the World Health Assembly (WHA). The Executive Board is composed of 34 members, each appointed by a Member State and elected by the WHA. The members of the Board are individuals with technical expertise in the field of health, and serve terms of 3 years. The role of the Board,...
The World Health Organization (WHO) is embarking on the most extensive administrative, managerial, and financial reforms in its 63-year history. While reform discussions started in 2010 under the title “Future Financing for the WHO,” they now encompass an organization-wide reform. The debate has expanded to include questions around the WHO’s position within today’s fragmented global health...
The World Health Assembly (WHA) is a key moment of health diplomacy. The Global Health Diplomacy Network (GHD-NET) seeks to improve capacity for health diplomacy by using training, research, and information-sharing to ensure that all participants can be more engaged and in a position to influence the outcomes of international negotiations.
In this context, we have prepared a companion to the WHA...
The Global Fund is a public-private partnership and international financing mechanism dedicated to the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Since its inception in 2002, the Fund has become a primary source of funding for global health initiatives in the developing world, with more than 20 billion dollars funding programs in 150 countries. At its last meeting in Brussels...